When actress Carolyn Anne Miller utters that iconic line on the Pickard Stage next week a?" a?oeToto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore,a?? it will have an added resonance for the Midwestern native, who makes her Maine State Music debut in THE WIZARD OF OZ. The Chicago born and educated Miller cut her professional teeth at, among other theatres, Music Theatre Wichita, before moving to New York City and on to star as Dorothy in MSMT's fantastical new production of the stage version of that perennial classic based on L. Frank Baum's stories, directed and choreographed by Marc Robin and Curt Dale Clark.
Broadway's very own Princess Jasmine, Arielle Jacobs, won't go speechless. The Aladdin star recently recorded her own version of 'Speechless'- a song written by Alan Menken, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul for the new Aladdin film. Check out the brand new music video and read her blog entry, written on the day of the the video shoot below.
Nordo announces its 11th season today dubbed as a?oeWhere the Tea Party Never Endsa?? and includes stories of an attic of wicked toys where you are the size of the dolls, to a titillating English Christmas village festooned with murder, a Victorian revenge thriller inspired by a popular poem from 1854 about the a?oeperfect wifea??, a Nordo makeover of the classic Alice in Wonderland tale and, lastly, an immersive adventure in Japan's most haunted forest.
Perhaps if, like most first attempts at playwrighting penned by a young unknown who is also cast in the leading role, Domenica Feraud's RINSE, REPEAT had a modestly-produced premiere production in a small black box theatre, this reviewer would be more enthused to recommend an interesting work in progress by a new and underrepresented voice.
SHOWTIME has given a straight-to-series order to the drama RUST, starring Emmy winner and Tony® and Golden Globe® nominee Jeff Daniels (The Newsroom, Godless, The Looming Tower), who will executive produce and reteam with Oscar nominee Dan Futterman (Capote). Futterman will write multiple episodes of the series, which is co-produced with Platform One Media and based on Philipp Meyer's celebrated debut novel American Rust. The announcement was made today by Gary Levine and Jana Winograde, Presidents of Entertainment, Showtime Networks Inc.
Shattered Globe Theatre announces its 2019-20 Season, featuring two Chicago premieres: BE HERE NOW by Deborah Zoe Laufer, directed by Producing Artistic Director Sandy Shinner* a?" a bittersweet comedy about searching for happiness; and SHEEPDOG by Kevin Artigue, directed by Wardell Julius Clark a?" a love story colliding with today's headlines; followed by WHEN THE RAIN STOPS FALLING by Andrew Bovell, directed by Elizabeth Margolius a?" a stunning mystery of love and loss that reverberates through four generations.
Michael Feinstein and a handful of friends have pledged $1 million to support the Great American Songbook Foundation, the nonprofit organization he founded in 2007 to preserve and celebrate the legacy of our nation's timeless popular music.
Rattlestick Playwrights Theater has announced details and complete casting for the world premiere of Novenas for a Lost Hospital, a communal experience created by playwright Cusi Cram (A Lifetime Burning) and Rattlestick's Artistic Director Daniella Topol (Ironbound) and starring Tony Award-nominated and four-time Obie-winning actress Kathleen Chalfant (Angels in America, Wit). Novenas for a Lost Hospital sets out to remember and celebrate St. Vincent's Hospital, the 161-year-old Catholic institution that treated victims of calamities from the sinking of the Titanic to September 11th. Guided by Saint Elizabeth Seton (Chalfant) and inspired by the caretakers and patients of St. Vincent's Hospital, this unique event takes a 60-person audience on an uplifting journey from an enclosed West Village garden to Rattlestick's intimate theater to the NYC AIDS Memorial Park. Novenas for a Lost Hospital runs September 5a?"October 13, 2019, at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater (224 Waverly Place) with an opening night of September 19. Tickets are on sale now at rattlestick.org.
Julien's Auctions, the world-record breaking auction house, has announced its highly anticipated event PROPERTY FROM THE LIFE AND CAREER OF MAE WEST auction, part of the LEGENDARY WOMEN OF HOLLYWOOD two-day extravaganza taking place on Friday, November 1 and Saturday, November 2, 2019 at The Standard Oil Building in Beverly Hills and live online at juliensauctions.com.
Christina Gorman's a?oeRoan @ The Gatesa?? currently in its world premiere production by Central Works at the Berkeley City Club could not be timelier. Lest that sound like a vapid platitude, in this instance it is well deserved. In a taut 70 minutes, it explores themes of online and IRL privacy, pernicious access to personal data, and responsibility to one's partner vs. one's employer vs. the greater good.
Academy Award-winner Melissa Leo (THE FIGHTER, THE BIG SHORT) and SAG Award-winner and Emmy-nominee Michael K. Williams (HBO's “The Wire”, Netflix's “When They See Us”), have been cast alongside Frank Grillo (AVENGERS: ENDGAME, THE PURGE), Alice Englert (BEAUTIFUL CREATURES, THEM THAT FOLLOW, and Jack Kilmer (THE NICE GUYS, THE STANFORD PRISON EXPERIMENT) in the new crime-thriller, BODY BROKERS, being written and directed by John Swab.
ACTORS BENEVOLENT FUND'S most popular fundraiser event a?" the INDOOR PICNIC AND CABARET is back. This year marks 75 years that The Actors Benevolent Fund has provided assistance to performing arts professionals in times of need.
Only one person is known to have survived full-blown rabies, by undergoing a radical form of treatment called The Milwaukee Protocol. In this romantic tragedy loosely based in the sciences, Virologist Joan Remy is extremely skeptical of the Milwaukee Protocol. She is also in love with rabies.
The musical adaptation of Steven Steven Spielberg's screenplay(2002) of Frank William Abagnale Jr's autobiography (1980, written by Abagnale and Stan Redding) is given the intimate Hayes Theatre treatment for an evening of high energy song and dance as one of the America's most famous fraudsters is bought to life in CATCH ME IF YOU CAN.
Led by stars Brandon Keith Rogers (Tony) and Giselle Torres (Maria), 5-Star Theatricals' production of 'West Side Story' features scintillating new choreography by Karl Warden, including some stunningly visual interpretations of the story. Dynamic performances all around, this is a MUST-SEE production! Plays through August 4 at the Kavli Theatre in Thousand Oaks.
Playwrights Horizons begins its 2019/20 season of works from groundbreaking playwrights pushing their singular styles to new heights with Wives, written by Jaclyn Backhaus and directed by Margot Bordelon
Dot Time Records is proud to announce the September 27th release of Armstrong in Europe. Part of Dot Time's Legacy Series, and the fourth Armstrong release, Armstrong in Europe features the audio from two recordings of quintessential European performances by the great Louis Armstrong which were recovered from the archives of the Louis Armstrong House Museum. Tracks 1-9 on the CD release of Armstrong in Europe feature the audio from a 1948 performance recorded from Louis Armstrong and His All Stars' run at the Nice Opera House in Paris. This historical concert marked Armstrong's performance at the first ever Nice International Jazz Festival. Tracks 10-16 feature the audio from a Titania Palast, Berlin recording of Louis and his All Stars which was initially broadcasted on RIAS (Radio in the American Sector). Accompanying this CD and digital release will be a stunning vinyl package of Armstrong in Germany released on the same date. The Nice Opera House performance features a 46 year old Louis Armstrong in his musical prime, with Jack Teagarden on trombone and vocals, Barney Bigardon clarinet, Earl “Fatha” Hines on piano, Arvell Shaw on bass, and Sid Catlett on drums. Armstrong's band in 1952, features Trummy Young on trombone, Bob McCracken on clarinet and vocals, Marty Napoleon on piano, Arvell Shaw on bass, Cozy Cole on drums and Velma Middleton on vocals. Both European performances demonstrate Armstrong's stunning musicality, expert showmanship and ferocious leadership.
CONTACT HIGH, an original new musical with book, music and lyrics by Kyle Reid Hass and Jeremy Swanton is slated for a limited engagement run August 15th a?" September 7th at Theater 511, 511 West 54th Street. The official press opening night is on Thursday, August 22nd. Mr. Hass also directs the production. CONTACT HIGH tells the compelling story of the unlikely friendship between two high school seniors: Jean Simon - a drug dealer and recovering heroin addict and Haley Walter Keys - a misunderstood teen genius with a severe phobia of physical human contact. The production draws its inspiration from the teen angst musicals that got the creators through high school and is a testament to the resilience one can find in the hope of a better tomorrow. www.contacthighmusical.com
HBO has confirmed their slate of thought-provoking documentaries for the second half of 2019, including: Roger Ross Williams' THE APOLLO, an insider's look at the history and legacy of the legendary Apollo Theater; Susan Lacy's VERY RALPH, the intimate story of fashion icon Ralph Lauren; Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato and Diane von Furstenberg's LIBERTY: MOTHER OF EXILES, a revealing, up-close look at one of the most beloved icons in the world; and McMILLIONS, from executive producer Mark Wahlberg and directors James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte, a documentary series chronicling the stranger-than-fiction story of how an ex-cop rigged McDonald's Monopoly game promotion for over a decade and stole millions.
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